Ukrainian Pixel Camo Challenger MBTs

 

Ensimmäiset kuvat #Challenger2:sta Ukrainsn pixels camossa. Huomiota kinnittää se, että tässä ei ole ERA 😁
📷 lukijan kuva (en tiedä lähdettä) pic.twitter.com/GQ48bAbNtO

— Mika Mäenpää (@MMaenpaa1) April 20, 2023

I'm really warming to the French Serval..

 

Évaluation technico-opérationnelle en milieu grand froid avec le blindé Serval !

➡️ roulage en zone 🏔️
➡️ débarqué d'un groupe infanterie montagne
➡️ ski joëring
➡️ chaînage et conduite sur neige

On embarque avec le @7e_bca 🏔️ Vous suivez ?#MatosTerre #Innovation pic.twitter.com/brQIxpOCSx

— Armée de Terre (@armeedeterre) April 20, 2023

Really starting to like the Serval. Its bigger than the JLTV but the added size I believe adds utility. While it serves the same function as the JLTV, I believe that its LAYOUT/Troop Carrying is superior.

I know.  Trust me I know.

The JLTV was designed to be a replacement for the Humvee.  But (and this is hindsight) miss a chance to rethink our utility vehicle and turn it into a real combat vehicle?

Open Comment Post. 20 Apr 23

Chinese VN20 Heavy IFV with 100mm gun and 30mm autocannon via Reddit

 

The Pentagon is leaking this potential embassy evacuation because its gonna be hairy...

 

SCOOP: The Pentagon is preparing to position U.S. forces in Djibouti in anticipation of a potential mission to evacuate U.S Embassy personnel in Khartoum, two people familiar with the military plans said. @alexbward @ErinBanco https://t.co/zdmZER0hj0

— Lara Seligman (@laraseligman) April 20, 2023

The Pentagon has a habit of leaking certain news it wants out to its favorite "journalists" when it wants to shape a narrative.

This one is easy to see.

The Pentagon is leaking this one because they know its gonna be a hairy operation and its probably gonna get ugly.

Item 1.  Its in the middle of a freaking civil war.

Item 2.  The govt there believes that the US "approved" the insurgent activity.

Item 3.  There is significant Russian and Chinese military assets and activity in the area.

What does all that mean to me?

It is gonna be a combat situation from the start with the possibility that ALL SIDES will be firing at our aircraft.

Never thought I would say this but I believe this is probably beyond the capabilities of an MEU to perform.  Oh and that's a legacy MEU, not the abomination that Berger's wonder kids have built today.

So where does that leave us?

Probably a couple of Ranger Companies along with a Special Forces Detachment, the 160th with copious amounts of Air Force and MAYBE Navy/Marine Corps aircraft along to make it all look like its a "joint service" effort.

Make no mistake though.

The shooters on the ground will be 95% Army with maybe a few SEALs/MARSOC to keep the SOCOM family happy.

If I'm right then God Bless the boys doing this job (should have happened long before this kicked off) and doom on  the State Dept for not having its shit together to act before it turned into a clusterfuck from hell.

Ukraine is pleading for more anti-air missiles...

 

#Ukraine at a new meeting with allies in #Ramstein will submit a request for urgent deliveries of air defense systems and replenishment of ammunition for air defense systems. It is reported by the Financial Times. pic.twitter.com/YbSj8h8mXi

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) April 19, 2023

What are we missing with the air war in Ukraine?

Is it just me or is this getting a bit tiring?  First it was for armor, then it was for fighters, then predators, artillery, MLRS and now we're onto more anti-air missiles (missed a few items like javelins and got this out of order but you know what I mean).

But back on task.

I read a tweet that stated that Russian Air Forces use of glide bombs has changed things in that conflict but can't find it to post.

If that's wrong, does anyone know why the need for more missiles?

Borsuk IFV sails like a motorboat?

 

The frontal plate has recently received quite a substantial armor boost. The Borsuk IFV is doing great while floating. Those who have observed it say - ,, it sails like a motorboat,,
The shape of the front hull of the Badger IFV is largely due to the amphibious requirement. pic.twitter.com/y7NEjm3wfx

— Junsupreme (@RyszardJonski) April 19, 2023

Interesting. I don't know a thing about hydrodynamics but I do watch armored vehicle development. Especially amphibious armored vehicles. Have you noticed that the new Turk AAV, the Borsuk IFV and the S. Korean Wheeled Combat Vehicle all share the same "bow"? The ACV is more sharply raked...kinda like the Chinese EFV. If you keep the ACV but give it this type of bow would it swim better? Kinda interesting that the new AAV replacement has issues in surf so severe that they're developing new tech to predict it. It's brand new but no speed increase over the AAV. It's wheeled so we can anticipate that there will be beaches it can't cross (can't get the image of stuck wheeled vehicles on the beach in Spain). I just don't quite know if making it the new amphibious ride is all its cracked up to be. I was a huge supporter of the vehicle but now I'm just not sure.

Open Comment Post. 19 Apr 23

 

This is the most startling prediction of what could happen if we go to war with China...and what we need to do now to get ready...

 via Real Clear Defense

If the United States manages to reassume National Will, but deterrence fails, we will respond militarily. There is no doubt China will resort to forms of economic warfare. If the CCP must bear the brunt of extreme financial consequences, then I believe they will begin taking drastic measures. The PLA will employ unconventional military techniques right here in the United States through our porous border. This will take the shape of either undocumented foreign agents from malign nation states or proxy forces such as Central American cartels paid off by the CCP, who will sabotage our power grid with relative ease, striking any number of the roughly 55,000 substations across the United States.[viii] This will likely bring the grid down like a game of Jenga, thrusting the United States back into the late 1800s. Remember The Monsters are Due on Maple Street? This time the monsters will be on every street in America armed with pistols and AR-15s.

Here

This article.  Just wow.

What has me spinning is how everything is lining up for us to get our teeth kicked in and how we will be faced with a zombie/mob situation in addition to a war (if this guy is right and things play out as he fears). 

I'm gonna point out a Senator I love to hate.  Lindsey Graham.

That fucker doesn't know of war he doesn't love and while he is talking up the coming conflict, I see NO PREPERATION of the American society to steel themselves for the pain that is sure to come.

If China crosses the berm before 2030 we're screwed.

Flyby of Kızılelma with landing gears clearly tucked inside.

 

[1280x720] Flyby of Kızılelma with landing gears clearly tucked inside.
by u/neosinan in WarplanePorn

Minimum requirements for safe flight. This vid is catching alot of heat

 

 

Opinions?

Kinda concerned that he keeps emphasizing that he won't fuck you over.  In my experience whenever you hear that you're about to be fucked over!

Brazil pushes a club of nations for peace in Ukraine....

 via ABC

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday expressed gratitude to Brazil for its approach in pushing for an end to hostilities in Ukraine — an effort that has irked both Kyiv and the West, and by afternoon prompted an unusually sharp rebuke from the White House.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has refused to provide weapons to Ukraine while proposing a club of nations including Brazil and China to mediate peace.

On Sunday, Lula told reporters in Abu Dhabi that two nations – both Russia and Ukraine – had decided to go to war, and a day earlier in Beijing said the U.S. must stop “stimulating” the continued fighting and start discussing peace. Earlier this month, he suggested Ukraine could cede Crimea to end the war, which the spokesperson for Ukraine’s foreign ministry, Oleg Nikolenko, and others rejected.

After meeting Brazil’s foreign minister on Monday, Lavrov told reporters in a short press conference that the West has engaged in “a rather tough struggle” to maintain its dominance in world affairs, including economics and geopolitics.

“As for the process in Ukraine, we are grateful to our Brazilian friends for their excellent understanding of this situation’s genesis. We are grateful (to them) for striving to contribute to finding ways to settle it," Lavrov said, sitting alongside his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira.

Lula's recent comments, particularly ascribing any blame to Ukraine for Russia's invasion in Feb. 2022, run counter to the position held by the European Union, the U.S. and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. And any talk of a ceasefire is viewed as an opportunity for Russia to regroup its forces for a new offensive. Zelenskyy told The Associated Press last month that a loss anywhere at this stage in the war could put Ukraine’s hard-fought momentum at risk.

Vieira, for his part, told reporters that Brazil sees sanctions against Russia as causing negative impacts for the global economy, particularly developing nations, and that Brazil supports an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.

Do you realize how this looks on the world stage?

The US is against peace and seems to be a warmonger.

Ukraine is being viewed as less sympathetic.

This is bad.

Everyone in the White House, Congress, State Dept and Pentagon talks about being able to chew bubblegum and walk at the same time.

Prove it!

Open diplomatic channels and turn this war off! We're way past the point of anyone "winning" this conflict.

How did Ukrainian trainees do this?

Ukrainian drone drops a grenade on a wounded Russian invader

Ukrainian drone drops a grenade on a wounded Russian invader
by u/sunlegion in UkraineWarVideoReport

Did Berger go rogue with Force Design 2030? Compass Points lays out a compelling case that he DID!!!!

 

Did the Commandant Of The Marine Corps go rogue with Force Design 2030? There are compelling reasons to believe he did!

Compass Points - House Flippers and Congress https://t.co/eu88b189jA

— Solomon (@SnafuBlogspot) April 17, 2023

Supporting Ukraine is disrupting European food markets..

 via Stars & Stripes

Slovakia became the third European Union country to ban food imports from Ukraine on Monday, deepening the challenge for the bloc as it works to help Ukraine transport its grain to world markets.

Slovakia followed Poland and Hungary, both of which announced bans Saturday on Ukrainian food imports through June 30. They did so in response to rising anger from farmers who say that a glut of grain in their countries is causing them economic hardship. (NOTE* The EU is particularly sensitive to the plight of its farmers after the massive protests earlier over European climate change regulations/targets that practically gutted their farms)

The EU's executive branch, the European Commission, manages trade on behalf of the 27 member countries and objects to them taking unilateral or uncoordinated measures.

At a briefing in Brussels, two spokespeople stressed gratitude to Poland and other Central European countries for supporting Ukraine, but said a solution must be found that respects the EU legal framework.

"We are dealing with a war, right? And this war has consequences, obviously, on farmers and more generally, the population in Ukraine and the European Union and its member states," said Eric Mamer, chief spokesperson.

Here 

Shit is getting real for Europe now.  It took alot longer than I thought but its hitting.

Let me hit you with this.

Russia is being supplied by China.  If you think they're not providing lethal support then you're not paying attention.  Additionally the Chinese Defense Minister was just in Russia meeting with his counterpart and Putin, the Russian SecState was in Brazil and China is playing nice with neighbors in the Pacific.

We're seeing a full court press on the diplomatic and military fronts.

For all intents and purposes we're beyond the "competition" stage already.

Full bore gray zone activity?

I think so.

Opening moves of WW3?  Possibly.  Historians will have the final say but the drumbeat of war is picking up in my opinion (and that doesn't count what we're seeing in the Middle East - China brokered a peace deal that harvested the return of POWs).

If our leadership ever decides to match its words to action then we will start seeing complete societal mobilization soon.

Sidenote.  I believe Macron's moves indicate that he sees the same and wants to get ahead of the dustup he sees coming.

2nd Battalion, 7th Marines Tests Scout Platoon Capabilities for IBX-30

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. – Marines with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, participated in a scout platoon mobile training team event at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, March 20-31.

The training increased the Marines’ knowledge of scouting and reconnaissance fundamentals to test future infantry battalion scout platoon capabilities.

The Marines and Sailors of 1st Marine Division continue to lead the way in Infantry Battalion Experiment 2030, or IBX-30, initiatives. The training the battalion recently completed was another area the Marine Corps is looking to develop more versatile and lethal units to compete in austere environments. The scout platoon transition is also part of a renewed focus on basic reconnaissance and looks to provide ground combat commanders with early indications and warnings, real-time battlefield analysis, and undetected observation of adversary forces.

“A likely vision of warfare centers on the recon/counter-recon contest,” U.S. Marine Gen. David H. Berger, commandant of the Marine Corps, wrote in his 2019 Commandant’s Planning Guidance. “This demands an agile, stealthy, tactical system employing forces that are able to locate, target, and fire precisely first.”

Under the guidance of a mobile training team from Advanced Infantry Training Battalion, School of Infantry - West, the “War Dogs” of 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines went through a challenging program of instruction designed to give the foundational skills expected of a scout platoon member. The course focused on individual reconnaissance skills such as reporting, surveillance, communications, and patrolling. The course also introduced various collective skills on scout employment in the offense and defense.

“The scout platoon mobile training team provided the foundational reconnaissance and surveillance skills that will be required moving forward for the V27 scout platoon,” explained Maj. Neil Simmons, the operations officer for AITB. “As we continue to transition toward this FD2030 concept, these competences will be key factors to our success in future operating environments.”

The 10-day training event included instruction and practical application on all-weather, ground, reconnaissance and surveillance tactics, techniques, and procedures with an emphasis on support to battalion intelligence collections. Throughout the course, the instructor cadre stressed the importance of effectively operating in an all-domain environment to include capabilities not historically found within an infantry battalion.

“2/7’s scout platoon learned how to effectively operate and manage their signature in a multi-domain environment, to include the electromagnetic spectrum, while also integrating enhanced technical capabilities such as ground sensors and special intelligence/electronic warfare teams,” said Capt. Mike Larson, the company commander for Weapons Company, 2nd Bn., 7th Marines. “The training allows our scout platoon to assist the commander’s decision-making ability and also extend the battlefield through employment of small unmanned aerial systems.”

Scout platoon integration is the most recent step in the IBX-30 evaluation process. With an organic scout platoon, along with other integrated units, weapons, and skillsets, future infantry battalions can provide more versatile, more experienced, and more lethal forces to commanders around the world.

Wow.

Are they trying to bitch up each Infantry Bn to the point to where they're their own "self contained" ground combat element?

FD2030 once implemented will mean that the USMC no longer has a ground offensive capability.

Have you not noticed that in all the experiments we're hearing about they're not talking about offense?  When they do (only that Marine Gunner talked about offensive ops) it appears (from my chair) to be highly scripted.

The biggest complaint I heard about Scout Snipers was that the average Marine Infantry Officer just didn't know what to do with them and that they would disappear doing their own thing.

Instead of jacking up a world class organization perhaps they should have done more work on Officer education.

ROMEO-M17 pistol mounted red dot sight, developed from the ground up for the U.S. Army’s Modular Handgun System

Story here.  Don't know if "big" Army will foot the bill for red dots for conventional forces but as far as SOCOM is concerned those bubbas are gonna buy the fanciest, highest priced option available...I hear the ARCO is real popular with the SEAL Teams now but haven't seen any visual proof.  As far as the Sig is concerned I just don't see how they won the contest.  If you go to the Reddit Sig page you'll see all kinds of problems.  A Modular gun up to a POINT is good but from some of the issues I'm seeing they might have gone a step too far.

 

South Korea plans to build three “arsenal ships” capable of carrying 80 ballistic missiles by end of 2020s

via Reddit
Republic of Korea Navy has reportedly selected Daewoo Shipbuilding & Engineering (DSME) to design its future arsenal ships on 11 April 2023.

Locally known as “Joint Firepower Vessel (합동화력함),” three arsenal ships are expected to enter service with the ROKN by late 2020s. They’re expected to displace around 5~8,000 tons and armed with up to 80 ballistic missiles, CIWS, torpedos, and other defensive armaments.

ROKN’s future arsenal ships are similar in deign to US Navy concept devised in the 90s, though its operating concept will be and operational environment will be quite different from what USN envisioned. Designed solely for land attack mission,arsenal ships are a practical solution that will address current shortcomings faced by South Korean kill chain and massive retaliation networks.

Despite possessing a large inventory of Hyunmoo-series conventional land-attack ballistic and cruise missiles, South Korea reportedly possesses only around 60+ transporter erector launchers (TEL). These specialized launch vehicles are expensive, maintenance & manpower heavy, require lengthy reload period, and vulnerable to North Korean attacks. With current TEL inventory, it is impossible to launch mass missile salvo that is required in the initial stage of the war against North Korea.

The arsenal ship will address this shortcoming by providing a relatively low-cost, mobile, and survivable launch platform capable of mass salvo fire at a moment’s notice. South Korea is currently undertaking a massive effort to consolidate its strategic strike & missile defense assets under a single umbrella of the ROK Strategic Command slated to become online in 2024. These arsenal ships will likely fall under its operational control.

Although these arsenal ships are extremely vulnerable against modern anti-ship threats posed by adversaries like China, they are being designed exclusively for a North Korean contingency. They will operate far from reaches of North Korean coastal defense cruise missiles and submarines, likely in relative safety of South Korea’s southern coastline or far off the Easter coastline.

The ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff initially identified arsenal ships as part of its long-term procurement plan in 2018. Once DSME completes conceptual design this year, arsenal ships will become part of next year’s mid-term procurement plan and undergo necessary procurement procedures.

I cannot properly describe how much this frustrates me.  Not that the S. Koreans are running full speed ahead with the Arsenal Ship Concept, but that we had these YEARS AGO and did nothing with it.

So many awesome ideas that would be helpful (refuse to call anything a game changer anymore UNLESS it actually is!) in a fight with China.

Imagine if we had one of these ships assigned to every Carrier Battle Group!

Whether the fight is at land or sea we would have tremendous long range striking power regardless of weather!

Instead we're left with these middle powers (S. Korea, Poland, Turkey and others...really like what the French are doing if you ignore their politics) rapidly gaining because they have the ability to step beyond their military complex (which includes generals) to grab hold of evolutionary power that is well within our grip.

Ya know when we ALL saw the start of our decline when it comes to advancements?

When we lost our ability to imagine.

During the 50's and 60's you saw all kinds of advancements being attempted.

Many times the tech was beyond reach but we tried.  Today our defense industry is like our movie industry.  They're building the same shit just putting a new spin on it, calling it fantastic because its slightly different but at the end of the day you see very little forward movement (some of you freaks will point to FD2030..that is an evolutionary step BACKWARDS to an FMF that is totally defensive...more precisely it is an admission of failure).

Patria - Protected Mobility and Defence Systems